Beijing|Foreign policy experts have questioned a key part of Scott Morrison's Pacific pivot, warning there may be little appetite among island nations to take Australian loans for infrastructure because the region is already heavily burdened by debts.

Loans for infrastructure and increased military deployments and security training are the major headline items but one significant feature is the focus on soft power through sporting grants and delivering Australian content by working with commercial media.

The 2017 foreign policy white paper included an emphasis on soft power measures as part of efforts to build influence and shape positive thinking towards Australia.

However, Labor and the Greens said the ABC and not commercial media should play the role of being Australia's voice in the region.

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Lowy Institute Pacific Islands program director Jonathan Pryke said there was a lot of substance to Mr Morrison's announcements instead of the usual "half-hearted" approach.

But he was lukewarm on the $3 billion in infrastructure loans and grants Mr Morrison is offering. He said China had lent extensively to the region but so had multilateral banks like the International Monetary Fund.

"There are of course infrastructure deficiencies but there is not more room to fund more debt," he said.

"They are all low-growth economies so it is not like they can de-gear in the short term through a huge growth spurt."

Mr Pryke said with the exception of loans to Papua New Guinea, China had scaled back its lending to the region since 2016 but Chinese state-owned companies had established a substantial presence in the Pacific.

"If we are trying to curb Chinese influence through mitigation of infrastructure, we might be doing the opposite by creating a pipeline of projects for Chinese companies to bid on," he said.

Australian National University Professor of International Security and Intelligence Studies John Blaxland said Australia's focus on the Pacific had slipped in part because of the "distraction" in the Middle East.

Professor Blaxland said there was a little bit of risk Pacific leaders would try to play off China and Australia. Leaders had been susceptible to Chinese largesse because of cronyism and nepotism.

While the re-orientation may have been in response to China's proactive approach to the Pacific, there were important environmental and governance reasons for Australia to step up its engagement, Prof Blaxland said.

He said by and large, Pacific leaders had a propensity to want to be aligned with Australia.

"My sense is we've been far too transactional in our approach in the last few years," he said.

"They need a partner and don't want to do it in Mandarin."

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said many of the government's announcements echoed promises already made by Labor to step up Pacific engagement, in particular establishing a dedicated infrastructure facility.

He said Mr Morrison had damaged ties with the Pacific by refusing to take seriously climate change – regarded as an existential threat by many Pacific leaders – and undermining the Pacific Island seasonal worker scheme during a spat with the National Party over farm labourers.

"The Pacific has felt the impact of the record $11 billion in aid cuts under this government. While we welcome these new commitments, it is important the government clarifies what else is being cut to fund them," Mr Shorten said.